


Chosen - Neko AU

by Rykura



Series: Drafts and Ideas (I'll Most Likely Never Finish) [9]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blindshipping, Deathshipping, Gemshipping, M/M, again yami marik is called Kek here, hes called Kek in all my fics where he's his own person lol, i dont get to it but it was supposed to happen eventually, psychoshipping, slight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 05:51:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18204383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rykura/pseuds/Rykura
Summary: Ryou is a little white neko bought up by a strange man who smells like sugar.





	Chosen - Neko AU

**Author's Note:**

> This is another one I feel I could finish one day!

A pure white kitten sits set up on display at a neko shop.

He sits in his little white box curled up in the corner, wide blue and brown eyes attentively watching the customers walk by, their eyes sliding over him as they found another neko more to their liking. 

When they picked him up he would hiss or go limp and didn’t do tricks for attention or reciprocate their attentions like the other cats. He didn’t like them, their scent. They were either repulsive or showered with perfume, and some of them didn’t smell like anything at all. 

Because of his attitude, he’d been up for display for nearly a year after birth. Most neko’s were sold almost immediately after the three months they were kept to grow after birth, all but him. His eyes weren’t complimentary, so before potential suitors would even try to pick him up they would most likely pass him by. At some point he would get sick and die from the lack of attention, he felt the sickness deep inside him, beginning to bud and he closed his eyes, accepting it. 

He dozed off then, sleeping was his usual way of passing the time, but something tickled his nose and he woke up searching for the sudden passing scent. 

Sweet… it was sweet, sugary; he liked it a lot and he’d only gotten a whiff. He finally opened his eyes and got up in his little glass display box before looking up at a man; huge and broad shouldered, standing with arms crossed as his bored eyes skimmed over the rows of glass boxes. He was with someone, a man a bit taller than him but much slimmer and dressed in a thick fur jacket that ended just above his navel and fur boots, leaning forward and cooing at the kittens pawing at the glass, mewing for attention. 

Ryou stared up at the man that was shorter; his hair was silver and shaggy and he was dressed in an ebony suit, not a speck or blemish on it, complete with slacks, suit jacket, scarlet dress shirt, black tie and shiny dress shoes that clicked on the white glass floor. Ryou moved a bit closer to the small holes in his glass box to sniff some more, tail swishing around as he ambled forward just as the man noticed him out of the corner of his eye. His head turned to scrutinize the kitten, double colored eyes meeting steely violet and Ryou froze, tail falling. 

“Oh look at this one!” 

“These are our newest litter, in this row here-“

“What’s up with that one?” The man who had locked eyes with Ryou didn’t look away as he nodded towards the Christmas display case. 

“Oh- little Ryou?”

“Ryou…” The kitten’s ears lowered as he heard his name. The man still didn’t look away. “Why is he set up in the middle like that? I didn’t even notice it had one in it until it moved around.”

“Ah... Ryou has been a bit unresponsive to all his potential buyers which are already very few in between since his double colored eyes seem to be unpopular in the first place. He’s nearly a year old by now. We try to put him in front for the main display but he tends to meld in with the white wood so once again he’s overlooked.” 

“He’s an oddball huh?” The taller man asked, turning away from the mewing row of glass boxes with a hand on his hip and a smirk on his lips, looking imploringly at the kitten. “Let’s bring him out then.”

“Are you sure? He has been known to hiss and scratch…”

“Just bring it out,” the smaller man demanded, leaving no room for argument and the store clerk nodded hastily before pulling the ring of keys to all the boxes off his belt and unlocking his box. He lifted the lid and Ryou curled up in the corner, a futile attempt to get away as the clerk grabbed him by his scruff with two fat fingers and held up his rear with a palm, holding the kitten out for the men to see. Ryou’s eyes darted between them. He felt no need to hiss as they stared and the taller man cooed.

“Ah! He’s adorable!” The man said, stroking a hot pink painted nail up his muzzle and over his forehead and Ryou’s eyes closed and ears lowered momentarily as the soft pressure passed. This person smelled like the beach, salty and sandy, strange but interestingly so. “So soft too! Can’t believe people pass this little angel by just because of his eyes. I like them myself, how about you Bakura?”

The other man, Bakura, brushed the clerks hands away and scooped the kitten into cupped hands, thumbs looping under his armpits and resting on his fluffy chest to hold him in place. 

“...he’s cute.”

“You know, you two kind of match!” The taller man said. “What with your scar and his blue eye.”

“Not even a little bit,” Bakura growled at the other and moved as though to give him back to the clerk, but Ryou’s little paws wrapped around one of his thumbs and his tiny claws dug unaffectedly into his thick skin and he squeaked in disagreement. He continued his squeaks and rubbed his face into his sugary scented thumb, tail escaping from his cupped hand hold to partially wrap around his thick wrist and everyone looked down at him in surprise. 

The blonde smirked down at Bakura, amethyst eyes glimmering with amusement. “Looks like he likes you~” He sang.

“He’s never made a sound aside from a hiss before!” The clerk exclaimed and Bakura looked down at the squeaking thing with a grimace. 

“You should get him Bakura!”

“We came to get  _ you _ one, not me.” At that Ryou let out a long mew, having taken hold of one of his thumbs tightly with both paws, beginning to try and wriggle out of his hold. 

“But he obviously likes you, and he can be a friend for mine to grow up with! Let’s see…” The taller man turned back to the boxes and after a moment of glancing between them he pointed at a little wild haired, sandy colored neko fighting a mouse toy half its size. “I  _ adore _ this one. So feisty!” He said, pointing at it with his painted finger tapping the glass and the kitten jumped up and pawed at it. “He looks like a handful who might need someone to play with.” 

“Oh… that’s Kek,” The clerk supplied, moving away from Bakura, still holding the wriggling kitten and trying to keep it from climbing up his arm. “He  _ certainly _ is a handful; very playful and responsive, a little too much so, however. Every feeding time he tries to escape and twice I’ve had to run around the store to catch him before he darted out the door!”

“Sounds perfect! I’ll take him.” 

“R-really?” The clerk asked and the taller man glared down at him, annoyed. 

“You going to give him to me or not?” 

“O-of course!” 

“And we’ll be taking that white one too; Ryou.” Bakura was distracted by his comment and Ryou took the opportunity to escape his hold and claw up his arm, slipping easily out of his calloused hand when the man tried to grab him thanks to his silky coat and burrowed into his neck, breathing in that sugary scent where it was most potent. Bakura grabbed at him some more until his companion slapped his hand away and took a picture with his sparkly cased phone, the smaller man sneering at the camera.

“So cute… day of adoption! You’ll thank me later.” The man then turned to take a selfie with the golden kitten behind the glass and the clerk returned with two carriers for the kittens. They transferred both kittens into their respective carriers with a bit of struggle as one was clingy and the other was eager to escape the hold on his scruff, wriggling violently and swiping at the air.

The blonde man laughed as he tickled the kittens belly and the fur ball bit at his hand lightly and kicked with claw-free feet at his palm. “Hello there you little rascal! I’m Malik, your new daddy. I’d suggest saving all that energy for exploring your new home!” 

They both filled out paperwork and exited the store into the outside world, traveling through the cold momentarily until they reached their car and placed the kittens inside, front gates facing each other in the back seat. 

The sandy colored kitten, Kek, had lilac eyes like his master and he leaned up to sniff at the holes in his carrier and stick his paws through curiously. Ryou submitted to a corner of the cage, curling up and relishing in the leftover sweet scent stuck to his fur with squinted eyes, for once content. 

The two humans in the front seats talked for a bit until the car stopped and they both took out the carriers and travelled through the cold again into another store. It was a store for neko supplies; toys, books, clothes, beds and such things lining the isles and Malik held his cage up to all the toys for Kek to sniff and paw at excitedly. Bakura walked along the isles occasionally putting the cage down to look at something and show it to the white kitten in the carrier. Ryou would crawl forward and sniff the item before looking up at the human who would meet his eyes and either put the item back or toss it into the shopping basket he carried in his other hand. 

Malik left with multiple bags full of toys while Bakura held fewer bags full of necessities and they placed their charges back in the back seat before putting it all in the trunk and driving away once more. Kek appeared to have an endless amount of energy as he circled his carrier like a predator and jumped excitedly whenever the car would jerk one way or another. Ryou kept to his corner until the car stopped once again, the two humans exited the car and Malik pulled Kek’s cage out and the kitten twisted around trying to see where he was being taken before the car door shut and they were both out of sight. The car wobbled a bit as some things were taken out of the trunk and then Bakura got back in the driver's seat and drove off once more. 

The car was quiet for another while and Ryou started to doze off until the rumbling of the engine shut off and he was startled awake from Bakura's door slamming shut and the man pulling him out of the car. He left the bags in the car as he unlocked the dark mahogany front door, sighing as he entered and placed the carrier on a glass coffee table before leaving once again. From Ryou’s limited view he could see an extravagant fireplace, decoratively patterned rugs through the glass of the coffee table and a plush looking crimson colored couch, the room different shades of red and black hues. His ears twitched as he heard Bakura bring in the bags and dump them on the couch before grunting with a sigh, presumably falling into another chair. 

He startled as the cage was twisted around so the man could look down at the little kitten, Ryou’s pupils leaving only a sliver of his double colored eyes as he looked up at his new owner. 

He unlocked the cage and opened the door and Ryou’s little nose skimmed the rim of the opening for a moment as the man watched him, his eyes hard and face set in thought. Ryou stepped out of the cage onto the glass one paw at a time, feet wide in stance as he stared down at the floor through the glass cautiously and suddenly tumbled out; tripping over the rim of the cage, tiny tail whipping around as his rear flew up and he fell on his chest, pushing a little squeak out of him at the impact. He kicked his feet trying to stand until he felt his scruff pulled and the glass fall away under him, Bakura having picked him up once more and placed him on the couch to start sniffing around and climbing the cushions. 

“What the hell…” he sighed as Ryou climbed from the top of the cushion onto his shoulder and rubbed against his ear. He plucked the little white kitten off his shoulder and held him up with two hands, unable to stop himself from scratching at his soft belly fur. Ryou purred and wiggled around contently at the treatment. “I guess I have a neko now… gonna have to set up a room and shit for you…” He held the little kitten up and they stared at each other. “I’m not your dad, though, okay? Don’t call me that.” He held the kitten against his chest with one hand as he got up and pulled a cat bed out of one of the bags before heading out into the main hall and carrying him up the staircase. They entered what appeared to be his bedroom which was even more lavish than the living room with gold trim on everything plush and Bakura placed the smaller bed on the side of his own big one which made the small bed look minuscule in comparison. He placed Ryou in the middle of the bed who circled it and curled up in one of the corners, already tuckered out from the day and then left the room again. Ryou tried to stay awake, watching the door for his new owner to come back but his lids grew too heavy to resist and he fell asleep alone. 

-

Bakura didn’t see him change, but as the nights passed he would wake up to find Ryou slightly different. The first change was drastic, waking up to find a toddler rather than a cat in his bed, but beyond that point it continued at a slow pace. Patches of fur receded into pale skin, eyes still round and sharp like a cat, but a human face mixed into his features. He grew hair, toes and fingers and Bakura thought he looked like a little gremlin, but somehow cute as well. He outgrew his small bed eventually and Bakura conceded to letting the little creature sleep with him under the blankets although it wasn’t much of a shift as the neko had taken to abandoning his bed and sleeping on him in some way anyways. 

He bought a playpen and when Malik brought his own neko they would stack blocks and play with stuffed animals inside it. The playpen was useless within a fortnight as the two kittens grew to the point where Malik’s little devil could easily escape, figuring out how to unlock the simple gate with nimble fingers after a series of barreling through and pushing it over before running around. The first time he did so he nearly caused both owners heart attacks, until Ryou came out from the spot they were hiding at and outed the mischievous child, eager to please and ignorant of the game. 

The difference between the two kittens was huge, but they complimented each other in a strange way. Ryou was calm and sensible, although a bit gullible while Kek was excitable and wild but hard to fool, making him and even more difficult charge. Ryou was obedient, Kek was stubborn, Ryou was quiet, Kek was loud. Both kittens, however, were very loving and eager for attention. 

Bakura did his research and found that they would only grow to be average height at most; 5’5”. He’d happened upon a sick article that listed tips and tricks on how to keep the neko’s small but mature and absolutely subservient and obedient to every whim and wish; it was disgusting. Bakura wasn’t raised rich, he wasn’t raised to see all this as normal. He’d worked his way to where he was, and he found all the neko business repulsive. 

-

Ryou’s wide round eyes stared up through the slits of the closet door attentively, ears twitching at any little sound that reached his ears on the other side and swiveling whenever the boy next to him snickered or growled in excitement. 

“Quiet Kek!” Ryou whispered softly to the wild haired boy next to him who bounced up and down with a sharp toothed smile stretched across his face. 

“Gonna get him, gonna get him…!” He murmured but hushed when they heard a particularly loud sound in the room outside the closet and both froze in anticipation. 

After a few minutes of shuffling in the other room all went quiet for a few moments and then the closet doors flung open and Kek let out a battle cry as he lurched forward onto the intruder, squealing as the little neko tackled and pinned him to the carpet, growling victoriously. 

“Hey!” Malik cried, easily slipping his hands out from Kek’s clawed hands and tickling him mercilessly on his sides, causing him to fall and squirm on the floor, yowling and laughing uncontrollably. Ryou crawled out of the closet a bit, kneeling on the floor smiling lightly. “I’m the one who found you, thus  _ I’m _ the winner! What makes you think you can tackle the king of hide and seek!” 

“King of hide and seek?” Ryou squeaked as he was picked up around the middle and cradled against Bakura’s chest in one of his arms, his other hand coming up to scratch behind his ear and send him into a fit of purring. “You couldn’t even find your phone this morning… or for the last week.” His tone was flat with beration and Malik stood, holding Kek up by the armpits who wriggled and gasped for breath, still chuckling slightly from the tickle fest that had just ensued. 

“I told you I was sorry! Kek,  _ the mischievous little thing _ , lost it while playing some games while I was busy! I found it in the end, didn’t I?”

Bakura gave him a baleful look. “I don’t know, did you?” Malik propped Kek on his hip, who bit at his shoulder playfully, and pulled his phone out from his back pocket, waving it around with an smug expression.

“Yes, I did! It was under my mattress. Sneaky little bugger!” Malik nuzzled into Kek’s face, hugging him close and the neko meowed throatily, rubbing their cheeks together eagerly. 

“I swear, that thing is gonna get big enough to eat you whole one day. He’s just biding his time…” He trailed off as both blondes looked at him, Kek with a devious smirk and Malik with a pout. 

“He would never! He’s a sweet little darling at the core.” 

“And an evil little devil otherwise.” 

Malik rolled his eyes and hitched Kek up a bit more on his hip before pushing past the other man and walking down the hall, Bakura turning to follow with Ryou in his grasp. 

The kittens had grown over the last two months, Kek more so with such an endearing owner. In human years they were about seven years old now, Ryou eight years old since he was older than Kek by a few months, yet Kek had still managed to be taller than him by half an inch. Even so, they had both grown to be around three feet tall now, their fur had receded to a thin coat, thicker along the spine, and they had grown hair that just reached their shoulders. Kek’s hair had become thick and stood up in all directions, even his bangs were unruly while Ryou’s hair, in contrast, was feathery and framed his face in waves. 

While their whiskers had receded and faces shifted to look more human, their eyes were still very much round like a cat and they still had catlike noses and fangs to balance. Their paws had grown into fingers and toes though they were still covered in fur and clawed at the ends, and their tails had grown with them, Kek’s big and fluffy and Ryou’s slim and sleek. 

Malik brought his neko into Bakura’s living room and sat him on the couch, peeling his nimble clawed hands off his neck with a chuckle. “Alright,” he said. “Playtime is over, back to your lessons.”

“But I hate this show!” Kek whined, tail waving with annoyance as he pouted darkly. Bakura gently placed Ryou back on the floor where he’d been copying the alphabet in cursive in a little booklet. 

“Then we’ll change the channel, but you’re going to finish this booklet  _ today _ . Or no sweets tonight.” Kek growled but picked up his own booklet grumpily and without another word; both neko’s were very particular about their sweets, although both owners would agree Ryou more so. “We’ll be working for a little bit, then we’ll leave for home. Be good, okay?” 

Kek grumbled assent and leaned into Malik’s touch when he scratched behind his furry pointed ear in thanks and left for Bakura’s study. 

Bakura knelt down next to Ryou and pointed at him strictly. “Don’t let Kek bully you into messing around with him, okay?” Ryou nodded and purred as Bakura pat his head. “Be good. We’ll be back in a little bit.” He then stood to follow the other human, sending a baleful glare at the sandy haired neko who sent him an innocent look, tail twitching on the couch, before looking down at his booklet and humming happily, and Bakura left with one last huff. 

For a few minutes they actually worked on their booklets, absentmindedly listening to the educational cartoon playing on the flat screen above the fireplace and Ryou tried to get as much done as possible before the inevitable. As predicted, eventually Kek threw his booklet to the side and held onto the couch as he slipped onto the floor and ran over to tug at Ryou’s arm. 

“C’mon, c’mon!” He urged and Ryou whined a little in protest. 

“Can’t we just finish the booklet-?”

“C’mooon!” Ryou whined as the blond neko dragged him out of the living room and through the house until the tall mahogany door of Bakura’s study stood sealed shut before them. 

“We shouldn’t eavesdrop Kek…” Ryou whispered but Kek just waved him off and placed his furry pointed ear against the door, motioning for Ryou to do the same. 

-

Bakura walked up to the desk of the clinic, Ryou’s tiny clawed hand held tightly within his own as he alerted the nurse at the front desk of their appointment and the nurse sent a message to the doctor before telling them to take a seat. Ryou obediently took a seat in one of the waiting chairs but Bakura decided to stand next to him instead of sit. There were few other neko’s and their owners lounging about in the chairs, waiting, of varying ages though they were all small. One was wringing her tail anxiously, her buff owner sitting with crossed arms, glancing down at her before scratching her ear and she stopped wringing it. Another female kept trying to rub her eyes but her hands kept getting slapped away by her fussy, brunet male owner until she wrung her hands in her lap, closing her eyes, tail twitching in annoyance. Another was a fully grown female with golden hair, laying across multiple chairs with her head in her owner’s lap who scratched her ear absentmindedly while tapping away at his phone, her tail waving lazy along the floor in pleasure. To contrast them all was Ryou, sitting patiently with hands tucked into his lap, staring across the room at nothing, eyes thoughtful, hair and skin blending into the stark white of the clinic walls and contrasting the dark carpeted floor. 

Bakura wondered what he was thinking about; he was still so small, did he understand any of the world he was brought into? That Bakura kept him in? His thoughts were interrupted by a small weight on his thigh and he looked down to see Ryou had leaned his head against him, not moving, just enjoying the contact and Bakura pat his head, causing him to purr. Of course he didn’t know, how could he?

“Rafael and Sonia?” The little neko and her much larger owner got up and she took his hand as they headed back to see the doctor. Next was the girl with the itchy eyes and her spiked, brown haired owner and then the blonde and her owner. Some more neko’s came in while they waited and then he and Ryou were called up, though the nurse pronounced the neko’s name wrong.

“It’s  _ Ryou _ ,” he hissed as he passed, Ryou slipping out of his chair and following Bakura to the back room, bypassing the startled nurse without a care. 

The doctor greeted them cheerily and Bakura helped Ryou onto the observation table when he gave it an imploring pat. They talked for a bit about his diet and routine and the doctor complimented his methods then proceeded to give Ryou a physical; checking his ears, having his eyes follow a flashlight, listening to his heartbeat and so on. 

“Everything looks to be in tip-top shape,” the doctor said and Bakura nodded, satisfied. “Although, you said he was two months old now?” 

“I’ve only had him for two months,” Bakura supplied, moving closer to the table to stroke Ryou’s hair, the kitten purring in pleasure. “When I got him they said he’d been nearly a year old.” 

“Well that explains it; you see it’s not only a normal for kittens to be taken in a few months after birth, it is actually very  _ necessary _ . If they don’t start growing within five months after birth, there can be side effects.” 

Bakura’s eyes narrowed worriedly at his words and his hand slipped from the top of Ryou’s head to grip his small shoulder lightly. “What kind of side effects?”

“Early mental growth, emotional detachment, they become less playful or social, earlier heats, and a few other unbacked affects-“

“Heats?” Bakura asked, cutting him off. “What do you mean heats?”

“You are aware of their heat cycle, right?” The doctor asked doubtfully and Bakura shook his head, tense. The doctor continued, “A few times a year, usually two or three, a Neko goes through heat; a time when their sexual desires intensify with the goal to reproduce. Their senses heighten, their nervous system becomes more sensitive and unless their needs are satisfied their bodies become lethargic and weak. Much like when they are not given attention thus making them unable to grow, if they face their heat alone enough times they will become poisoned and-“

While the doctor was talking Bakura withdrew from the kitten entirely. “Alright, alright enough of that. Is there anyway I can stop the heats?” 

The doctor stared at him. “As I said, if they’re ignored-“

“I mean-hold them  _ off _ , until he’s… bigger?” 

“Of course, we have a drug that will numb the effects of a heat cycle, but it is very risky to use in excess. Three times is the recommended limit; two times a year until they’re fully grown and once more until it becomes unsafe. Eventually a neko will grow immunity to it anyways as their heats become more intense and their pheromones overpower the effects, but if they still try to take it after that it can severely damage their insides.”

“Is there nothing else?” 

“For heats, no. They are very natural and very necessary. If you’re that concerned about little Ryou here, you can always go to a heat clinic where omegas go to find alphas to spend their heat with in a controlled and safe environment. I would also recommend birth control shots that uphold for two months at a time, whatever you decide.” 

Bakura was lost in intense thought and sighed. 

“Just gimme the pills.” The doctor pulled out and filled a prescription slip before handing it to Bakura. 

“I could also give you my card if you have anymore questions, Mr. King.” The doctor said as he helped Ryou off the table and handed him a fish shaped cream filled cookie, patting his head twice with a sympathetic smile. 

Bakura took his card before grabbing one of Ryou’s hands and they headed for the door. “Thanks,” the silver haired man said, eyes still clouded with intruding thoughts and the doctor nodded to him. 

“If I don’t answer your call my email is on there too, I’ll make sure to get back to you.” Bakura nodded to him and they left without another word, not even Ryou sparing a glance to everyone in the waiting room before leaving with his owner. 

During the ride home Ryou was quiet in response to the rage he somehow sensed growing in the bigger man. At some point his tail wandered and brushed against Bakura’s side unknowingly and he was a bit startled as Bakura scratched behind his ear and under his chin a bit roughly, enjoying it all the same with a light purr to prove it. When they arrived home his owner set him on the couch and turned on cartoons before saying he was going to his study and he would be out to make dinner in a bit. Ryou wasn’t interested in cartoons today, however, or treats or dinner, he was concerned about his master. 

He sat on the couch contemplating for a bit before sliding off and heading up to the study. He stood in front of the titanic sized door compared to his small frame before pressing an ear to the wood and finding the inside completely silent. He reached up and turned the handle and cracked the door open a bit, peeking in. Bakura sat at his computer, the room completely dark aside from the blue light shining on his scarred face. Ryou wondered why no one else had a marking like that, why they looked at him weird because of it. 

He padded into the room, silent across the carpet and Bakura jumped when the light from the computer finally illuminated him like a ghost sliding out of the shadows, double colored eyes staring up at him concerned. 

“Ryou I said I’d be down in a minute.” Bakura said, exiting out of some tabs hurriedly on his screen but Ryou didn’t really care about that, he was preoccupied with his Bakura.. 

“You’re mad,” Ryou murmured, ears drooping sadly and Bakura’s eyes widened surprise. He’d never gotten used to Ryou’s voice; he was still learning to speak as it was. 

“I’m… not. I’m fine.” 

“You’re sad.”

“I’m fine.” 

Ryou crawled up onto his lap, wrapping his small legs around the larger man’s waist and nuzzling his chest affectionately. “I don’t want you to be sad.” 

Bakura hesitantly wrapped his hands around Ryou’s small frame and pet his hair. “I just…” _wasn’t_ _prepared_ \- he wasn’t prepared to take care of a neko; he didn’t know the first thing about them aside from how much they were worth in the underground slave trade. 

“I’m not sad, I’m just… upset.”

Ryou looked up from his chest to stare with questioning blue and brown eyes. “Upset?” 

“It’s like… a mix of mad and sad. I’m frustrated.” 

“Frus-ter-ra-ted,” Ryou sounded out the word. 

“Yeah. Good job.” 

“Why are you frus-tra-ted?”

“Just… some of the things the doctor said.”

“About heats?” 

Bakura stared down into innocent orbs and sighed exhaustedly before slumping down in his leather chair and Ryou crossed his legs sitting on his hips, tail curling around him. A few moments passed before Ryou started kneading his chest and he chuckled at the action then went still and they stayed like that for a while. A content purr started in Ryou’s throat as he soothingly kneaded Bakura’s chest and the older male enjoyed the feeling, comforted by the fact that kittens did this to their mothers to help sooth them and help them make milk. He couldn’t make milk, but it was definitely soothing. 

Eventually, he felt drowsiness start to creep into his consciousness and he sat up, scooping up Ryou as he fell back and stood, holding his kitten close. He would save all the worrying for tomorrow.

“Let’s go put a pizza in the oven and watch a movie, sound good?” Ryou nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck as the silver haired man carried him downstairs and set him on the ground to scurry off and get the pizza out of the freezer. Bakura turned on the oven and brought up a movie on Netflix and all thoughts of the doctors visit disappeared as they munched on double meat pizza; Ryou’s cut up into pieces so he wouldn’t choke. 

Bakura tucked Ryou into his bed before going back to the study and going over to his computer. He brought up a tab; an article about Neko pregnancy filling the screen. 

He shut down his computer and went back to bed. 

-

“Did you know about the  _ heats _ ?” Bakura hissed to the stupid blonde who never failed to piss him off, but this was beyond fucked up. 

“Of course I did.” Bakura reeled at his words. “We just need to get some pills so he won’t go through them. It’s a piece of cake.”

“Those pills will ruin their insides!”

“We won’t have him take them forever, just until they’re old enough and we can send them to the heat clinic, so they don’t have to be affected when they’re still young.”

“They were bred to be child sex toys; they’re bred to  _ stay _ young.”

“God will you keep your voice down?” Bakura took a breath, holding his forehead. “It’s unavoidable, eventually the heat will happen even if we put them off, but at least they won’t be going through it under some sick perverts roof, right?” Bakura growled, the thought of his little kitten being touched or used in such a way sparking anger in his chest. “And just so we’re clear, I was thinking maybe we could have Ryou and Kek spend Ryou’s heats together.” 

“What?” Bakura rounded on him again, confused. “What do you mean? Kek’s going to have heats too, right?”

“Actually no,” Malik said carefully. “Remember when we went to the store and I asked the fat bastard to show me all the  _ alphas _ ?” Bakura threw his hands up, showing he had no idea. “Well I did and alphas don’t have heats, they have ruts, which are more… dominant.” 

“What’s the difference? What do you mean dominant?”

“I mean he turns into a damn rabbit and wants to fuck every and anyone around him, but it’s not a repetitive thing, it needs to be triggered by the pheromones of an omega in heat.” 

“And you want him and Ryou to  _ fuck _ ?” 

“They’re comfortable with each other, so I thought they could spend Ryou’s heats together. Unless… you’d rather take care of his heats yourself?” 

Bakura scoffed. He would never touch or use Ryou like that, even if his life depended on it. He’d rather starve and die. 

“Of course not, I’d rather hand over all my assets to Kaiba.” 

Malik pouted. “If you say so. You might change your mind when the time comes though.” 

“Why did we even get nekos Malik?” Malik looked at him, surprised at his words. ”You’ve done all the planning and research; you were the one who wanted one.”

“You live alone and only come out of your hole for business. You could have easily just put Ryou back in that box yourself, but I think we both know you like having someone to come home to.” 

Bakura wouldn’t admit it, but he did. Having Ryou run and tackle him as soon as he walked through the front door for his daily dose of attention made him feel needed in a way he hadn’t felt…  _ ever _ . Sleeping with Ryou glued to his side, leaching off his warmth and waking up with him every morning was a contentment and reassurance he’d come to cherish. And everyday Ryou got bigger, more and more of him to cuddle with and… love. He  _ loved _ the neko, but he’d never say it out loud. 

Both humans startled when a large crash came from downstairs and they both jumped up and ran out of Bakura’s study, searching for their kittens. 

Neither were very surprised when they found Kek to be the culprit of the sound and found Ryou trying to put some fallen pots back in a cupboard and Kek putting various pans of different sizes on all the counters. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Malik said sternly and startling Ryou, who held up a pot to hide slightly behind at his tone, ears flat against his head.

“Making cookies!” Kek said. 

“Oh no you don’t! Who said you could do that?” 

“Ryou.” Both humans looked over at the neko in question who’s fur stood on end at the sudden attention before continuing to put the fallen pots back in the cupboard. 

“We don’t have time for baking right now, we’re going to the park today, remember?” Kek rounded the counter with eyes full of excitement and fluffy tail waving happily. 

“The park?!”

“The park…?” Ryou perked up at the mention of the adventure and Bakura noted his nervous tone. 

“The park. But you’ve got to get this all cleaned up by the time I finish counting down from ten. Ten… nine… eight…” Kek darted off and grabbed all the pans on the counter and pushed through Ryou to shove them all in the cupboard, leaving Ryou to organize them all while the other neko ran off to get his shoes on. 

Malik went to follow him after sending Bakura an apologetic look and Bakura sighed as Ryou closed the cupboard. 

“The park?” Ryou asked, staring up at him nervously and Bakura took his hand leading him to the front entrance. 

“The park.” 

-

Elna park was designed specifically for Neko’s of all ages, since most of the time they stayed small. Six foot tall wrought iron fencing surrounded multiple play sets and benches where little neko’s happily chased each other around or sunbathed on flattened sun rocks. 

They had never gone to the park before for many reasons, but the biggest one was the rule that all neko’s had to have a collar on with their owner’s information in case they got lost. Neko’s were expensive to take care of and to own. The overbearing thought that at anytime their kittens could be stolen, especially when they were still young, pressured owners to keep their kittens as inside pets and very rarely let them out,  unless to show them off. 

Bakura waved his I.D. over the automatic scanner at the front before driving through and parking, Malik holding tightly onto Kek in his lap so he wouldn’t dart off as soon as the car stopped moving. Malik needed to keep a leash on Kek anytime they left the house, whether to go shopping or to just play in the backyard, as excitable as the little shit was. The blonde clicked it into place before letting the kitten go and getting himself yanked out of the car, being dragged by the little neko towards the park. Ryou on the other hand, sat quietly in the back, peeking out his window nervously before his door was opened by Bakura, holding a blue, brown and white striped collar with white cotton on the inside to protect his skin from irritating. 

“No need to be nervous,” the human unbuckled the kitten, the heart shaped gold tag with his information jingling as he slipped the collar around his pale neck and pulled Ryou out of the car to cling onto his neck. “Kek will be out there playing with you and me and Malik will be right over at that bench,” he pointed to a bench under the shade of a tree a little ways from the playground. “Okay?” Ryou nodded against his neck, his tail curling around Bakura’s arm despite his reassurances. 

Malik had calmed his neko and they waited as Bakura set Ryou down, needing to peel his clawed fingers off from around his neck to get him to let go, before the blond kitten grabbed Ryou’s hand and tugged him towards the playground excitedly, the white haired kitten stumbling and looking back at his owner fearfully as he was dragged away. 

Malik and Bakura watched for a bit as the two climbed up onto the structure and into a colorful plastic tube before heading over to the bench Bakura had pointed out and sitting down before watching their kittens once again. 

Kek dragged Ryou into tubes, across a wobbly bridge and to the top of a structure to go down a slide which Kek pushed him down once they got to the top of. When he made it to the bottom he escaped from his friend’s escapades and headed towards the sandbox a ways away. Kek didn’t see him go but didn’t seem to mind as another neko caught his attention with just as much energy as him and they proceeded to run all over the structures in a game of tag. 

Ryou didn’t mind the grains catching in his white dress as he sat on the warm sand and caught his breath. 

“You okay?” Ryou looked up at the small voice and found he wasn’t alone in the sandbox. Sitting across from him, pausing from his sand castle building to stare at him, was a little pale neko who’s dark hair shined violet at the tips in the sunlight with blonde bangs and matching lavender eyes.

Ryou nodded shyly and the dark haired neko pointed towards Kek and the white spiky haired neko chasing each other around. “Is that your friend?” Ryou nodded again and the other neko hummed. 

“Do you wanna build a sand castle with me?” 

Ryou tilted his head at the boy questioningly. 

“You don’t know how? I’ll show you! Just fill one of these with sand, put it in the ground, and tap on it a few times before taking it off and it stays like that. Watch,” the little neko demonstrated his instructions and Ryou gasped at the sand castle that was left behind. “Now you try!” 

Ryou’s sand castle toppled a few times before the neko told him to pack it in a bit more and then it worked and Ryou smiled happily, looking around for Bakura to show. His owner was sitting right where he had promised he would and but was too distracted talking to Malik and watching Kek to notice his waving. 

“Is that your owner?” His new neko friend asked and Ryou nodded. The dark haired neko pointed at the further end of the park where a woman was tapping away at her phone, occasionally looking around at the kittens playing and waving when she noticed the neko pointing. “Mine had work so I came with my owner’s friend Anzu. She’s really nice.” 

Ryou thought she looked nice, with short brown hair and a slim body, dressed in a plum suit, skirt and matching heels. 

“My name is Yugi by the way,” Ryou looked away from the woman to look at the neko again. “What’s your name?” 

“...Ryou.”

“Ryou. You’re kind of quiet but I like you.” Ryou’s face heated. “Wanna go on the swings together?” Ryou’s ears lowered nervously and Yugi seemed to notice. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to swing on them if you don’t want to.” After a moment Ryou nodded again and they brushed the sand off their clothes, Yugi flustering Ryou further by complimenting his dress before heading over to the swings and sitting on them. Yugi swung for a bit while Ryou just kicked back and forth lazily until Yugi jumped off and invited him to play on the slide. Their play was less intense than Kek and his new friend’s, who had taken to play wrestling in the grass, turning their clothes green, but it was just as eneriching, all the way to the point when they started to get sleepy and moved to the sun rocks to doze for a bit. 

They basked under the midday sun, purring contently, tails twitching happily as they soaked in the warm rays above until Yugi’s owner’s friend, Anzu, came over to tell Yugi they had to go soon. 

“Who’s your little friend Yugi?” The tall woman asked as both kittens rubbed their eyes and yawned sleepily with mouths full of tiny sharp teeth. 

“This is Ryou. He’s my new friend.”

“Hello Ryou,” Anzu lowered to sit on her heels and hold out a hand for Ryou which he stared at confusedly. 

“It’s a handshake Ryou,” Yugi supplied. “You give her your hand and you shake!” Ryou hesitantly gave Anzu his hand and they shook lightly before pulling away, both smiling slightly. 

“Can we ask his owner if we can have a playdate?” Yugi asked the brunette who stood again. 

“Is Ryou okay with that?” Ryou found himself nodding before he even realized it and Anzu’s smile widened. “Then where are they? I’ll ask.” Yugi and Ryou pointed over where Malik had replaced Kek’s new friend with rolling around wrestling with his neko on the grass next to the bench where Bakura sat, already watching the three carefully. Yugi took Anzu’s hand and the three of them headed over to the bench. Ryou stayed behind Anzu until they reached the bench where Bakura had stood and switched to cling onto Bakura’s pant leg, waving tail and shining eyes betraying his excitement. Bakura pat his head and scratched behind his ear. 

“Hey there! I’m Anzu,” the woman started and Bakura nodded at her soberly. 

“I’m Bakura.” 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Anzu swung Yugi’s hand with hers. “I’m friends with this little one’s owner, his name is Yugi. He wanted to know if he and Ryou could have a playdate sometime.” Bakura looked down at Yugi, who returned the look with innocent lavender eyes, before looking down at Ryou with a question in his eyes. 

“Really?” Ryou nodded once, eyes gleaming, and Bakura sighed. “Sure. Why not. Let me give you my number and we can set one up sometime.” Anzu’s smile turned nervous, Ryou guessing she finally noticed the scar going along the right side of his face as most people did, before pulling out her phone and exchanging numbers. She startled as she noticed the blonde neko sniffing at Yugi, the boy looking back at him unaffected. 

“You smell like honey,” Kek purred, leaning in with a malicious look on his face before getting yanked back, Malik picking him up around his middle and pulling him up to his chest with a bit of difficulty since Kek was a bit heavier and bigger than previous weeks when he could be picked up easier. 

“Sorry about him!” Malik apologized, as Kek chuckled in his grasp, tail waving playfully. “He’s very... social.” 

“It’s no problem, what’s his name?” 

“I’m Kek,” the fluffy neko said and Yugi leaned up so they could sniff at each other more, prompting Malik to place Kek down but keep a firm hold on his shoulders. 

“You smell like cookie dough!” Yugi said happily and Kek’s murky smile widened at the response, him leaning further and further out of Malik’s grasp to get a better whiff of the sleek ebony haired kitten. 

“Are you two here together?” Anzu asked the two other humans who glanced at each other, Malik smirking and Bakura huffing. 

“We’re friends yes. We got our neko’s together, actually.”

“So they’re brothers?” 

Bakura perked up at that but Malik waved a hand dismissively. 

“No way! They’re just friends too.” 

“I see, well I’ll give you a call to arrange a date to play. We need to get going before his owner gets worried.”

“He’s always worried,” Yugi smiled up at her and Anzu laughed. 

“Yeah he actually is. It was nice meeting you, Bakura, Ryou, Kek and…?”

“Malik.”

“Malik. Say goodbye Yugi.” 

“Bye bye!” The little neko and the woman walked off towards the parking lot and the two owners and their kittens stared after, silence being broken by a growling Kek. 

“If Ryou gets a friend I want a friend too!” Kek started dragging Malik by his own leash to where the spiky haired white neko had started sunbathing on the rocks and Malik followed with a sigh. 

“Alright but after that we should get going too,” Malik said to Bakura before getting tugged away. The grey haired man sat heavily back on the bench with a roll of his eyes and Ryou sat on the bench next to him quietly. 

“You made a friend huh?” Bakura pet Ryou’s head and the white haired kitten purred at the touch. “How’s that for your first day properly outside of the house? Did you like it?” Ryou’s ears lowered and he shrugged. “Well I think it’s good… I wonder though…” Ryou looked up questioningly but Bakura stayed silent. They watched as Kek dragged Malik and his own new neko friend over to his owner to get his number for a playdate. 

-

Ryou was bouncing in his seat, excited for the first time in his life to go somewhere and play with his first friend besides Kek. Bakura and Anzu had arranged for Ryou to come to Yugi’s house, though Bakura agreed begrudgingly. He knew Ryou needed the enrichment, but he would feel better about it if they played under his own roof. Anzu had relayed that Yugi’s owner would be there to greet them, since it was his own house, and Bakura was anxious about that too. There was something about that little neko… something he recognized…

And he got his answer when the front door opened and a familiar  _ height  _ greeted him. A chorus of curses sounded off in Bakura’s head as violet clashed with crimson and they both spoke at once. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me...”

“God damn it…”

Ryou peeked around Bakura’s leg to see Yugi waving from inside the threshold and he waved back shyly, unaffected by the two human’s glaring. Yugi bounded forward and had taken hold of Ryou’s hand, pulling him in and up to his room before either human could get out a word. 

“C’mon, c’mon! I’ll show you my room!” Ryou followed with a light smile and they disappeared around the corner before their owners could call them back. They both watched the spot where the two had disappeared before turning back to glare at each other. 

“Let me get one thing clear,” Bakura started and the shorter man’s eyes narrowed further. “I don’t like you, but my neko likes yours so for their sake I’m gonna let them play.” Bakura’s eyes darkened. “But if mine comes home in any kind of hurt you’ll regret ever getting one.” 

“They have nothing to do with us,” the shorter male replied coolly, eyes guarded and untrusting. “I’ll just pretend he isn’t yours.” 

“Fine by me,” Bakura turned and started for his car. “I’ll be back in two hours.”

“Counting on it,” the crimson eyed man called, not minding that the previous agreement was three hours, before closing his door and leaning back against it with a sigh. All his little Yugi’s excitement and preparation for Bakura-God-Damn-King’s neko? He didn’t even know he had one! The more he thought about it the more he couldn’t even begin to form a picture of the brute having anything other than a snake as a pet. The poor thing…

He hurried upstairs to properly meet the neko; found them giggling in Yugi’s blanket fort in his room, the tips of their tails peeking out from the entrance. 

“Yugi?” The giggling hushed and his ebony haired neko lifted the blanket to peek out and smile up at him.

“Yeah?”

“Come out here, I want to meet him properly.” The two neko’s climbed out from the fort and the man’s eyes widened at the estranged neko that revealed itself. It was pale, with long pearly hair that reached slightly past it’s shoulders, a sleek tail like Yugi’s, clashing icy blue and chocolate brown eyes and was dressed in a simple baby blue dress with lace along the shoulders, white swirling patterns glittering along the fabric and matching blue shoes with white socks. It was a bit taller than Yugi, but it was impossible to tell it’s gender, as all neko’s were dressed either femininely or... erotically. 

“Hello there,” the man kneeled down to look less intimidating and the neko’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “My name is Atem Sennen, I’m Yugi’s owner. What’s your name?” 

The little kitten stayed quiet, watching him nervously until Yugi piped up for him. 

“His name’s Ryou! He’s shy,” Yugi supplied and Atem noted the male pronouns before looking at Ryou doubtfully. Shy, or trained to stay quiet?

“Well it’s nice to meet you,” Atem held out his hand for Ryou to shake and the kitten glanced at Yugi who nodded him encouragingly before taking his hand and shaking it lightly. 

“You know, me and Yugi finished making some cookies for when you got here. Would you like to go have some?” Ryou’s eyes lit up and he nodded more resolutely. 

“Oh yeah! We made them into a bunch of shapes, some trees and ornaments and snowmen,” Yugi pulled Ryou along and Atem followed them downstairs to the kitchen. “We tried a present cookie cutter but I couldn't figure out which way was up- they were too big and hard to make out, so we just stuck to the basics.” 

“Or-ma-ment?” Ryou sounded out, he had never heard of that before. 

“ _ Ornaments _ , you know, the things you put on the christmas tree?” Yugi looked back at Ryou smiling curiously, but Ryou just looked back with his usual blank expression. 

Atem realized then that although he was almost as big as Yugi, just a half inch shorter, that they must not have been the same age; he had just assumed… 

“Ryou how old are you?” The scarlet eyed man asked the smaller neko who looked up at him with those double colored eyes, ever calm. 

“I’m four.” 

“Four months?” The little boy nodded. 

“That’s when Bakura got me.” 

Atem thought for a moment. “How old were you when Bakura got you?” At this the little neko looked away and his ears twitched and tail curled around his shoes as though he’d been berated. Although his eyes were hard to read, his body language was very open. 

“...a year…”

“A year?” A whole year? That explained quite a lot about his behavior, but then why would Bakura buy a defective neko? He was one for perfection and rare items, high in value. 

They had stopped at the kitchen entrance and Yugi looked between them nervously, not really understanding the problem, before running over to the counter and grabbing a few cookies to show them to Ryou. 

“Look at these!” Ryou took one of the cookies with small fingers and studied the design on front. “We got green frosting for the tree and blue and red sprinkles for the lights and yellow frosting for the star on top. This is what a Christmas tree looks like- you’ll see, I’m sure your owner will teach you all about it!” Atem gave his neko a dubious look but Ryou smiled at the cookie before taking a bite and munching on it happily. 

They ate the cookies and Atem left them alone to play in Yugi’s room while he contemplated the white neko. He couldn’t exactly grasp it; why Bakura would get a neko. 

Technically, Ryou should be older than Yugi as Yugi was only a year old and Ryou was three months older at least. Atem had gotten Yugi for Christmas, actually, so his memories were faint but he still understood the premises of christmas. 

He knew, vaguely, about the defects with late grown nekos; the emotional detachment was evident, of course, he’d also heard about higher intelligence and earlier heats. Despite his immediate assumptions as the thought of heats came to mind, however, he couldn’t believe them. Bakura wasn’t that kind of man. They may have been business rivals, but Bakura was capable of civility and diplomacy when it suited him. He was manipulative, however, and obnoxiously barbaric at any other time. He was impossible to read; sometimes Atem believed he was damn near insane. He honestly didn’t want to give Ryou back to the clutches of such a man, but then if he didn’t he’d have a whole new problem to deal with on his hands. 

The neko’s played until drowsiness pulled them into a napping session and Atem shook them awake lightly when he noticed Bakura coming up the driveway, not wanting to have Bakura come in to pick him up or get angry if he picked up the neko to bring to the man himself. 

He opened the door and those unreadable violet eyes glared as they locked on skeptical maroon. 

“Evening high and mighty.” Atem scowled at the name.

“King of snakes.” 

“I was thinking of getting one, you know.”

“With a neko?” 

“Defanged.” Bakura smirked. “That good enough for the great Sennen?” 

“Bakura!” Ryou came running up before Atem could respond and he bit back his retort. The little white neko hugged his owner’s legs and rubbed his face in his abdomen, purring happily. 

“You had fun?” Ryou nodded up at him as Bakura scratched behind his ear. “Well let’s get going. Did you say goodbye?” Ryou nodded and squeaked as Bakura picked him up and hoisted him onto his hip. Yugi came up next to Atem, yawning and rubbing one of his eyes with one of his hands waving as Bakura walked off with Ryou. 

“Later Ryou…” he said sleepily and Ryou waved from over Bakura’s shoulder as they left and Atem shut the door, Atem’s face stuck in a scowl. “He can come to our Christmas party, right?” Atem looked down at Yugi’s hopeful face and sighed. 

“I’ll think about it.” Suddenly there was a lot to think about. 

-

“I don’t like it.” Ryou looked at himself in the mirror, ears and tail drooping.

“The dress?” Malik asked. “It’s too late to change, we need to make an appearance.” 

“No… I like the dress.” He really did; he loved when Malik dressed him up and took him on shopping trips. The dress today was a scarlet gown with dark red see through lace on the sleeves up to his neck with white flower patterns reaching up from the bottom and a wide white ribbon wrapped around his middle with a big bow on the back. He also had white ribbons tied into bows on his wrists and his collar was white with a gold heart shaped tag. Half his hair was tied in the back with a big red ribbon and bow while the rest flowed over his shoulders and down just above his shoulder blades. He loved dressing up. 

“Ah,” Malik came up behind him and placed his warm hands on his shoulders, looking at him through the mirror. Ryou had grown to the point where his head just reached the hollow beneath his ribs now.  “You’re nervous about meeting all of Bakura’s co workers?” Ryou nodded bashfully and Malik rubbed his arms. “Well don’t worry about it. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them, you’re Bakura’s after all. If they mess with you they mess with Bakura. And me. And  _ Kek _ .” Ryou shivered. Pity the fool who got on Kek’s bad side. 

The neko was a good couple inches taller than Ryou now. He was big and had a mane of sandy colored hair that Ryou had taken a liking to brushing, and a fluffy tail just as luscious. Unlike Ryou, Kek hated dressing up, but Malik had promised both of them a trip to their favorite yogurt shop followed by the bakery if they attended the Christmas gala Atem was throwing and  _ behaved _ , so he decided suffering a suit for a few hours was worth the reward. 

It took Malik half the day to get Kek out of his gold bracelets and leather and into cuffs and slacks but eventually the neko was dressed and waiting at the front door grumpily while he proceeded to get himself and Ryou dressed up as well. 

Malik went over to his closet and pulled out a white, nylon jacket for him and proceeded to slip the neko’s arms through as he continued. “In fact I don’t think anyone will try to talk to you, they’ll just expect you to talk to all their other neko’s. Your main mission should be to keep a sharp eye on Kek, alright? I’m gonna be busy talking to a bunch of business assholes- er- idiots, so just make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. If he does, just come get one of us. Good?” Ryou nodded resolutely. “Alright, then let's head down before Kek’s mood gets any worse.” They exited the room and went downstairs where Kek was growling and hissing to himself and Bakura was on his phone at the front door, both human and neko looking up as they came down. 

Bakura was dressed in his own black suit with a white dress shirt and red tie and Kek was dressed in black with a black tie and sand colored dress shirt that complimented his hair. 

“You look… cute.” Ryou’s face warmed at Bakura’s compliment and went to stand next to him at the door.

“How do you  _ like  _ dressing like that?” Kek pulled at his collar. Usually neko’s were dressed more feminine but Kek was an alpha and a very masculine neko either way. “I have to wear this thin thing instead of my studded one, it’s misleading.”

“Oh look, it’s self aware.” Bakura drawled, looking down at the neko who growled back with a smirk and Malik came between them to open the front door. 

“Everyone got their coats?” They all nodded, Kek grumbling, and Malik nodded back, satisfied. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” 

Malik wasn’t too happy about the gala himself as he too needed to dress in a suit in contrast to his usual crop tops, eye glitter, feather lays and leather jackets. Ryou asked him about it and Malik had said his usual outfits were how he dressed casually; out of work. Ryou didn’t get why they dressed differently in and out of public. Bakura wore a suit all the time, so it didn’t really click with him. 

They arrived in Bakura’s maroon convertible and all got out, Ryou waiting for Bakura to open his door like Malik had told him to, taking his owner’s hand and stepping out onto the sidewalk. Bakura handed his keys to a valet and they walked up a flight of steps to the ball room rented out for the evening. Bakura didn’t let go of his hand as they entered and Ryou’s ears swiveled and pressed against his head at the volume in the room; the clinking glasses, laughing and talking reaching his ears like a tidal wave compared to the quiet of his home and the night outside. Immediately, he wanted to leave, but Bakura’s hand kept him paralyzed in place, next to his side. 

Atem was at the front, greeting people as they came in, shaking hands and sharing smiles, that is until the four of them came up. Malik took his hand and shook it modestly, a slight smirk on his face as he did so and introduced Kek who stuck his tongue out as he smiled at the man. Atem was just a bit taller than him and shook his clawed hand with a polite smile, his eyes betraying his skepticism of the suspicious neko who made a b-line for the buffet as soon as his hand was let go. 

Bakura shook his hand politely. 

“Sennen.”

“King.” Ryou peeked out from behind Bakura and Atem gave him a sympathetic look. “And Ryou King.” Atem held out his hand for Ryou to shake and he did so hesitantly. “Your first party?” Ryou nodded shyly. “Yugi is over in the far corner with the other nekos, he’s been to one of these before. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you find him.” Ryou nodded again and clutched Bakura’s hand tightly as they entered the fray, his owner nodding passively to the shorter man before heading towards the buffet table where Kek and Malik had disappeared to. 

The buffet was laid on multiple tables lining the mid outter walls around the dance floor and Kek had taken to swallowing down half the deserts on one of them, his tail waving in pleasure at the free food. Ryou’s ears perked and eyes glittered at the sight of a chocolate fountain, sweet treats and cakes lining the table in heaps and  _ he  _ ended up tugging  _ Bakura  _ to stand in front of it and hesitantly reach his hand out, not knowing if he should take something or not and if so what to take  _ first _ . 

Bakura handed him a plate and helped him load a few things onto it and Malik slapped Kek’s hands away from the table before doing the same. Once their plates were fully loaded, the four headed over to the corner Atem had indicated and found a few circular tables occupied by chattering nekos, dressed in similar ways as Ryou with similar plates of treats and snacks. The pit in Ryou’s stomach returned once again and his the fur on his ears and tail bristled before he hid behind Bakura again, the chocolate covered strawberry in his mouth suddenly hard to swallow. 

“Ryou!” Ryou’s ears twitched at the sound of his friend’s voice and he peeked around Bakura to see Yugi waving to him from a table a little ways away. Bakura headed for it with Ryou clinging close to his arm and Malik dragging Kek along before he could escape back to the buffet table once more. 

  
  


  * Kek ends up looking after Ryou
  * All the neko’s admire Kek for being an alpha and assume he is with Ryou
  * They explain mating to him, Yugi says Atem is his mate, Serenity says Honda is hers, Mai has Valon, Rafael is looking for a mate for Sonia



 

Ryou is almost kidnapped one day and escapes from a van while it’s still moving. He crashes onto the street and the van ahead skids to a stop. He darts down an alleyway and runs until he cant anymore. Jounouchi calls for him to hide with him and he does. 

Jounouchi is another omega who escaped his abusive owner and helps Ryou look human and they travel to try and find Bakura. They take buses, see other neko’s on leashes, steal from a mini mart for food and hitch hike the last of the way home. 

When they finally make it to the neighborhood Bakura lives in and get to the house, they find it completely empty. Jounouchi tries to leave but Ryou asks him to stay until Bakura comes home. 

Bakura doesn’t return for a whole week after they make it back. Ryou and Jounouchi become closer and start to notice the fridge start to empty. 

Kek is actually the one that finds them, he and Malik coming to the house to find Jounouchi trying to calm Ryou down as his heat was starting. Kek attacks Jounouchi as Malik goes to Ryou but Ryou jumps between them and hisses at Kek before collapsing from the pressure of his heat. Kek and Malik are stunned, they’d never seen Ryou act as such. Malik calls Bakura and Jounouchi helps Ryou to his room, petting his hair and mumbling reassurances until Bakura arrives. 

When Bakura gets there Ryou starts sobbing into his chest and Jounouchi leaves them alone, locking the door. They talk for a little bit until Ryou’s heat becomes more insistent with Bakura there and they get steamy. Bakura is more dominant and loving than ever because of their separation. 

 

Jounouchi is still at the mansion five days later when Bakura and Ryou finish his heat. 

 

-

Ryou slumped a little, his ear not turned onto the door drooping and eyes glimmering. He had always known he was unwanted and thoughts of Bakura only buying him out of pity or just because of pressure from Malik often haunted him at night and fleetingly during the day. He couldn’t grow without attention, and the attention he received worked just fine, but he couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t from a place of returned affection. He couldn’t be jealous of Kek and Malik’s relationship because he loved Bakura, most definitely, and that’s why it hurt even more to have such thoughts, especially when he was still so young.

-

  * Ryou waking Bakura up for milk in the middle of the night; kitten, toddler, teen
  * Movie night/ sleepover with Kek, snuggling ensues




End file.
